The Golden Circle
by cakelesspixels
Summary: When a spy for the Resistance is captured, it becomes a race against the clock to save her before she's roboticized. Sonia and Bunnie become her only chance to escape.


Going from riches to rags wasn't easy. The Resistance was the most important thing, Sonia knew, but it didn't make the drastic change in lifestyle any easier. She had spent her entire childhood living in luxury and it had been ripped out from under her all at once. It was impossible to forget the look of terror on Lady Windermere's face as she was dragged away by SWATbots to be roboticized. The loss of her home, friends and the only family she'd ever known had been a lot to handle. It was the same story many of the Freedom Fighters in Knothole had, she'd learned. She was one of the few that had come from a privileged background, but everyone in Knothole had lost something in the struggle against Robotnik.

Now that she was living in Knothole with her recently discovered brothers, she tried to focus her energy on getting used to her new life as a Resistance member. She had her own hut that she was able to furnish, but it had been so small compared to her room back home. It didn't matter all that much, however; she'd lost everything she'd ever owned and she had to start from scratch. Everything she owned now was secondhand or salvaged during supply missions. There was very little of it that she considered high quality and she'd already learned not to ask for more than what could be obtained safely.

Her morning routine couldn't stay the same. She lacked the ointments, perfumes and hair products she'd been able to enjoy when she still lived with Lady Windermere. Sonia counted herself lucky that Bunnie had taken to making her own beauty products from things in the surrounding forest. It was better than nothing. Sonia was convinced it was better for her in the long run.

She could hear the sounds of Sonic and Tails outside. From the shouting and laughing, she assumed they were playing some kind of game together. She smiled to herself. Sonic's relationship with the little two tailed fox had been precious. Tails always gave Sonic a reason for his softer side to surface. Setting aside her hand-me-down hair curler, she decided to head outside to watch the two boys. She stood just outside her hut to watch as they kicked around one of the few balls they had in Knothole. They didn't have many children in Knothole, but Manic always made sure to bring in new toys every few months. The children were always a number one priority for Manic. He didn't want them to lose every aspect of their childhood because of Robotnik. He'd also said that it was important to let off steam by doing things like playing soccer. Sonia couldn't disagree.

"Heads up!" Sonic's warning was followed by a ball barreling toward Sonia. Before she could react, the ball hit the ground at her feet to splash her with mud. Unsure of how to react, Sonia froze. She was soaked from head to toe; the ball had hit the ground with enough force that the mud and water had a high trajectory. She snapped out of it at the sound of laughter.

Sonic was practically bent over laughing at the sight of his sister covered in mud. "Sorry, sis, that was an accident."

"Sonic Maurice Hedgehog." Sonia glared through her wet bangs. "Do you know how long it took me to get my hair just right?"

"No, but considering how slow you are at doing it, I'll guess that the answer's 'too long.'"

Sonia opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted by a familiar southern drawl. "Sonia, honey, why don't you come with me before you hit him?" Sonia turned to see Bunnie only a few feet away. She must have witnessed the whole event. "Ah'll fix you right up."

"Thanks, Bunnie." Sonia felt an immense amount of relief at the offer. She turned to give Sonic one final glare before she and Bunnie headed back to her hut so she could pick up a change of clothing. Once she'd gotten a new outfit, she followed the half-roboticized rabbit to her hut. Bunnie's hut was half-home and half-beauty salon. She had a chair set up in front of her vanity that she treated like a barber shop chair; everyone would come to Bunnie's hut whenever they needed a haircut or trim. It was rare for anyone in Knothole to need a full-on makeover, but it was always a nice treat every so often. As Sonia studied the hut's décor, she caught sight of a photograph on Bunnie's nightstand. It was from before the coup. Bunnie's parents were in the photograph. It looked as if they were somewhere inside the palace. Sonia remembered Sally mentioning that Bunnie's mother had been a servant at the castle when they were little.

"You just follow me, sugar, and we'll get that mud out of your hair."

Bunnie didn't have an official hair washing station. Sonia had to lean over the bath tub for Bunnie to start washing her hair. Sonia had a towel draped over her shoulders to keep her clothing from getting wet from any splashes of water.

Sonia thought back to the framed picture by Bunnie's bed.

"You lived at the palace before, didn't you?" She asked. "Before the coup, I mean."

"Ah did." Bunnie nodded. "My mama had gotten herself a job as a servant for the Acorn family. King Acorn let her bring her family with her to live at the palace. Ah think King Acorn was hoping ah'd be a good playmate for Sally. She didn't really have a lot of girls around to play with. It was mostly boys."

Sonia had grown up hearing government approved lessons from school, but Lady Windermere had hired private tutors to give her, as Lady Windermere put it, accurate lessons; they always contradicted what Robotropolis public and private schools said about the Acorn family and the former government. As a child, she'd always had daydreams of living in the palace based on all the stories Lady Windermere and her tutors had told her. In some of her fantasies, she was the princess. In a great deal of them, however, she imagined being playmates with Princess Sally while growing up to marry into the royal family through Prince Elias. Lady Windermere had always made the Acorn family sound so benevolent and philanthropic. They were like fairy tale royalty to a young, bright eyed child.

"Did you like it there?" Sonia was dying to know what someone had to say having lived there. Would Bunnie's recollection match her fantasies or would they all be undone by the truth?

"Ah sure did." Bunnie started to massage the shampoo into Sonia's hair. Bunnie had taken to making her own shampoos. Whenever the Freedom Fighters made supply runs, shampoo was very rarely a top priority. She had to make do with what she had in nature. The scent of lavender filled the hut as Bunnie continued to work the shampoo into Sonia's hair.

"It was some of the best years of my life, all things considered." Bunnie said "You know, before you came along, ah would have never been able to imagine Sonic with a sister. Now it just seems like it's how it's supposed to be. Ah'm sad you and Manic couldn't have been with us sooner."

Sonia smiled. Sonia hadn't known Sonic too long, but it didn't take a genius to know he was a pretty independent hedgehog. "I never imagined myself having a brother, let alone two." Sonia closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the feeling of the water against her scalp. "I came up with all sorts of things for my birth parents, but I never even thought about imagining any siblings. And, if I ever had, I would have probably imagined sisters."

Bunnie chuckled. "Ah think, out of all of us, Sonic might have been the most flabbergasted."

"I'll bet," Sonia agreed. "Sometimes it's still hard to believe Sonic, the most famous outlaw of Mobius, is my brother." Everyone on Mobius knew of Sonic Hedgehog. No one could show support for him in Robo-Loyalist company, but all Mobians knew his name. There'd been a bounty on his head for years. "I didn't even realize anything was wrong until the SWATbots were on my doorstep."

"Ah'm sorry, sugar." Bunnie nudged Sonia back into a sitting position before guiding her back out into the living room to the chair. "Ah've been there and ah know how terrifying that is."

Sonia could feel Bunnie place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I remember all of it so clearly. I don't think it's something I'll ever be able to forget. If Robotnik hadn't decided to start keeping DNA samples of everyone, I wouldn't have even known Sonic and I were related."

"That's gotta be overwhelming."

"I guess you could say that." Sonia nodded. "I don't know if Robotnik knew he was going to find someone related to Sonic or not. It might have been total chance."

"It could be either one, hon," Bunnie said. "Ah wouldn't put it past Robotnik to just want to keep tabs on everybody."

"I think you might be right," she agreed. "Either way, I'm just glad I was able to find out who my birth family was because of it. I just wish Lady Windermere could have been here with me. It'd be easier if Sonic could stop acting like a jerk for five minutes."

"He doesn't mean any harm." Bunnie had to raise her voice slightly to be heard over the hair dryer. "Ah think he's as overwhelmed by all of this as you are and he doesn't know what to make of it all. Then when Manic came along, ah think he got even more confused. Sonic can be a bit of a handful sometimes, but he's not all that bad. He just needs some time."

"I hope you're right."

Sonia had always imagined herself striking up a close friendship with Princess Sally in her younger days, but that hadn't been what seemed to be coming to fruition. Sally was kind, of course, and they were both dedicated to the Resistance, but every conversation had felt so distant. There was no animosity, but there wasn't anything that felt like a deep friendship. Instead of forming a close bond with Sally, she was finding herself becoming closer and closer to Bunnie. They had grown up worlds apart, yet so many of their interests collided. They shared books, beauty tips and they even gossiped about some of the same things. Bunnie had a bit more of a country tomboy side to her than Sonia did, but it never impacted the friendship that was forming between them.

"I really want to thank you for this, Bunnie."

"Don't mention it, sugar." Bunnie grinned. She took a comb through Sonia's hair to get it to lie perfectly. "Ah'm always here when you need me. Besides, ah like having girl time. As much as ah love our boys, we need to have some time away from them every now and again to just talk."

Sonia chuckled. "Isn't that the truth?"

The girls allowed themselves to get wrapped up in conversation. Even after Bunnie finished Sonia's hair, they continued to talk. Sonia realized how much she and Bunnie both needed a girls' day to themselves. It was a chance to forget how horrible everything was for a few hours.

* * *

><p>"I don't get why she acts like her hair is more important than taking down Robotnik."<p>

"Don't be dramatic, Sonic." Sally rolled her eyes. "She had every right to be annoyed."

"It wasn't that big of a deal!"

"Sonic, she's still adjusting," Sally said. "All of us had an adjustment period when we first got to Knothole."

"Yeah, but ours was a lot less snooty, except for Antoine. Maybe that's why those two get along so well. They're both prissy princesses." Sonic paused. "No offense."

"Offense taken." She crossed her arms over her chest. "She's a little pampered, I'll admit, but she's not all that bad. She just hasn't lived in Knothole as long as we have."

"Yeah, but…"

"But what?"

"It still bugs me that she was able to live a life of luxury while other people were suffering," he said. "All because Lady Windermere was willing to pay Robotnik's taxes."

Sonic had never fully understood Robotnik's taxation. He could have roboticized everyone. It would have been easier than trying to pass a ridiculous amount of laws, wouldn't it? Sally had commented on the desire to control and force others to live in fear, but it still made no sense to Sonic. Antoine had likened it to some novel that Sonic had never read. It was frustrating that so many of the references the others made could go over his head. Reading was such a slow experience. It was difficult to focus on it for long periods of time like the others did. He wasn't sure how they could stand it. Sally had explained that the book had been some kind of historical fiction that combined genuine psychology with history to explain the mentality of a despot. It sounded like a lot of technical jargon by Sonic's account.

"It's what she grew up knowing," Sally said. "Try not to hold it against her too much. Just like Manic doesn't hold it against you that you didn't have to grow up in a sewer."

"That's a different situation entirely!"

"What's important is she's here now," she said. "I–"

Nicole's monotone voice cut into the conversation. "Sally, there is an incoming message from the Robotropolis Freedom Fighters."

"Excuse me, Sonic, I have to take this." Sally didn't want for a response. Sonic didn't need to be told twice that he wasn't needed around while Sally took her call from Robotropolis' Heart, the main Freedom Fighter based within the city. It wasn't unusual for them to relay messages to Knothole via the secured network Rotor had set up. Manic had recently tweaked it to enhance the security; his hacking skills had come in handy in knowing Rotor's weak areas in his coding enough to create patches. The Knothole Freedom Fighters and the Robotropolis Freedom Fighters had been the only ones relying on it to relay messages so far. The other groups across Mobius had yet to be added into the system and many of them weren't quite ready to trust the technology yet. They wanted to feel secure that it was a safe means of communication.

"Yeah, you do that," Sonic said. "I'm gonna go check up with Amy. Give me a shout if you need me and I'll be back in a flash."

After Sally gave a brief wave to acknowledge his statement, Sonic took off like a shot.

* * *

><p>There weren't a lot of vehicles in Knothole. No one in Knothole had been in the market for an old cargo van. Manic had salvaged it from a Robotroplis junkyard and he'd dedicated a healthy chunk of his free time to fixing it up. The smell of oil surrounded him as he looked over the autoscanner plugged into the van.<p>

"Manic, I am not understanding your desire to fix this old van," Antoine said. "It is… What was it that Sonic called it? A 'kidnapper van'?"

Manic gasped. "You mean he's onto me?"

Antoine stared at the hedgehog for a moment. He gave a nervous chuckle after a few seconds of dead air. "You are making the joke, oui?"

"Yeah, I'm joking, Ant." It had been tempting to continue his teasing, but he thought it was wise to end it there. Antoine could be far too much fun to mess with at times for how serious the coyote was. He best answer the confused Mercian's question. "I need a van of my own. I've got some stuff to take care of and it's not all stuff I can do on foot, you know?"

"What 'stuff' is it that you mean?"

"I like to take trips out to Sanctuary," Manic explained. "Check on how the kids are doing. It'd take days if I tried walking there."

"Manic, are you missing Sanctuary?"

"A little bit," he admitted. "After Buttnik got Farrell, it was the only place I had to go. I'd still be there if Sonia and Uncle Chuck hadn't come along."

"Do you regret leaving?"

"Nah," he said. "I miss it, but I don't regret leaving. My family's here or what's left of it. What about you, Ant? You miss Mercia?"

Just before the coup, Antoine had returned home from Mercia. He'd been sent away by his parents to train under an old family friend. He returned only a day before Robotnik's takeover.

"Oui, but I am not regretting coming back, as you are not."

"Ant, can I ask you to do me a solid?"

"A solid?" Antoine repeated. "Is that being a drug slang? Because if so, I cannot agree to it."

Manic laughed. "Dude, what? No." Antoine was, unintentionally, a riot sometimes. "A drug slang." He shook his head as he repeated Antoine's choice of phrasing. "I just need you to jump in the cat and start it up while I look under the hood."

"Oh… I was knowing that." Antoine had a sinking feeling his attempt to save face wouldn't work. He climbed behind the driver's seat to start up the car. He didn't know what Manic was doing as the hood of the car blocked his view, but he assumed the hedgehog knew what he was doing. In the past, Rotor had always been the expert on all things mechanical and he was still the number one guy to go to; but the citizens of Knothole could now choose to go to Manic instead. If Rotor was swamped, Manic took over the excess workload. There were also a few people in Knothole who preferred Manic's persona to Rotor as well. Rotor could be a bit more distant than Manic was. It wasn't long before Manic gave Antoine the sign to cut the engine. Antoine exited the car to stand beside Manic to watch him work. Rotor had never allowed him to watch so closely.

"Hey, Ant?"

"Oui?"

"I wanted to ask you something." His hands were already covered with grease. Antoine was briefly relieved that Manic was the one with the mechanic know-how. It meant he didn't have to be the one rolling around in car oil and grease. "Can you teach me some French?"

"Moi?"

Manic nodded. "I know Sonia's fluent and all, but I'd probably learn some neat stuff from a native speaker. You'd know all the little nuances and stuff."

"I suppose I could." Antoine mulled it over for a moment. "Why is it that you are asking?"

"How cheesy is it to admit that it's for a girl?"

"Aha!" Antoine was giddy at the idea of being useful in flirting with women. Normally, Sonic was the one people went to for such advice which Antoine couldn't quite understand. He was popular with the women, yes, but it certainly wasn't for his wooing skills. Sonic was the bad boy superstar of Knothole. At least, that was how Bunnie once described him. "Non, it is not cheese! I am happy to offer mon services."

"Awesome!" Manic grinned. "You remember that girl back in Richelieu?"

Antoine paled. "Mademoiselle Mendou?"

"Yeah, her," Manic said. "Sonic said she was gonna be coming to Knothole and I thought, maybe, if I knew some French by the time she gets here, she might be impressed."

"She is coming here?" A shiver ran up Antoine's spine. She had been a perfectly nice woman, yes, but what might she bring with her? "To live here?"

"That's the general idea. What's wrong with that?"

"Are you thinking that we need a voodoo priestess?"

"Antoine, relax." Manic knelt down to look through his toolbox. "Sonic said she was cool. She helped him out and everything in spite of Sonic being Sonic."

"She may be 'cool' but what if someone or something is following her here."

"Chill, Ant," he said. "She's not going to bring a curse down on us. And, if someone curses us, now we'll know how to get rid of it. Besides all that voodoo stuff just makes her mysterious."

"Mysterious?"

"Yeah," Manic said. "Wanting a mysterious partner isn't just a chick thing."

"You are, as they say, a strange consumer, Manic."

"Customer." Manic shook his head. "I'm one strange customer."

"Exactement."

"So will you help me out?"

Antoine hesitated. "Oui. I will help."

"Great! Thanks, dude."

"You mean 'merci'."

Manic laughed. "Merci, dude."

Antoine sighed. French sounded a lot less romantic when you tacked on a "dude" to your sentence. On the upside, Manic's pronunciation wasn't too bad. Perhaps Antoine wouldn't regret taking him as a student.

"Yo, Antoine! Manic!" Sonic called to them. "We got a meeting with Sal! Something's up."

They could hear urgency in his voice. Antoine and Manic wasted no time getting to the war alcove. Manic didn't bother to wash off the van gunk in order to rush over out of fear something was wrong. It wasn't that common that Sally called everyone to a meeting out of the blue unless something was seriously wrong.

* * *

><p>The Knothole Freedom Fighters crowded into the meeting space. Sally waited for everyone to be present before she began to explain the dilemma that they all faced. Many feared it was about the upcoming cargo ship mission. It wasn't uncommon for Sally to be forced to cancel them; they were risky and sometimes it wasn't worth putting everyone's life on the line if there was no guarantee of food supplies.<p>

"Everyone, please, quiet down." Sally waited for a hush to fall over the room. "I've just received some bad news from the Freedom Fighters in Robotropolis. It's about Lady Idube."

"Who?" Sonic asked.

"She's a spy for the Resistance in Robotropolis." Sally crossed her arms. "If you would read the dossiers I give you, you'd know that. She was part of Robotnik's inner circle."

Sonia looked over the files Sally had sitting on the large meeting table. Rochelle Idube was a familiar name. Sonia had never been part of Robotnik's 'inner circle' – or the Golden Circle as it were – but people knew their names. It was normal for the other aristocrats to obsess over their approval and friendship. Bartleby had wedged his way into the group thanks to his vast fortune. Money was usually a one-way ticket to being a member. They were the wealthiest inhabitants of Robotropolis that Robotnik enjoyed taking advantage of. Sonia had never met Lady Rochelle Idube, but she'd heard that she was a relatively kindhearted woman. It had been hard to believe she could be so close to Robotnik. Sonia had always assumed she did as she was told to protect her family. It wasn't until Sonia was brought into the Resistance that she learned Lady Idube was a spy. She used her wealth to gain a ringside seat to a lot of Robotnik's schemes. Privy to some of the more private part of the Robotropolis' government, Lady Idube had become a fount of information over the years.

Sally continued. "She was captured last night. We don't know how Robotnik discovered her, but he's scheduled a public roboticization tomorrow at noon. Attendance is mandatory."

"So we're staging a rescue?" Sonic asked.

Sally nodded. "After everything she's done for the Resistance, we owe it to her."

"But what about the cargo ships?" Rotor asked. They'd scheduled a raid of Robotnik's cargo ships that came into Robotnik's lair. It was a tricky operation that gained food and supplies for the Resistance while crippling Robotnik's defenses for a brief time.

"That's why I can only send two people after her," Sally said.

Sonic leaned back in his seat. "And you want me to go after Idube?"

"No, we need you to help with the cargo ships," Sally said. "You're too crucial to the plan. I've been thinking on who would be best and–"

"I could go!" Sonia stood. "I grew up around most of these people. I know a lot of their habits and the ins-and-outs of that part of town. I'll be able to sneak in without any problems."

"You were just who I was thinking of," Sally admitted.

"Oh." Sonia's cheeks turned red. "Sorry, I guess I got a little excited."

Sally gave an understanding smile. "I'm happy to see you so enthusiastic at least, but you can't go alone."

"No problem, Sally girl." Bunnie stood from her seat. "I'll go with her. Y'all don't need me on the cargo mission anyhow. Sonic's the star of that show."

"Alright, then it's settled," Sally said. "Bunnie and Sonia will go after Lady Idube and we'll go after the cargo ships as planned."

"I sure can't wait to have another aristocrat around this place." Sonic sighed. "We just don't have enough of them around."

"It's a good thing no one asked your opinion on the subject," Sonia said.

"Alright, settle down." Sally was all too aware that time was of the essence. "We'll get you two equipped and sent out this afternoon. Everyone else will continue with the cargo ship raid as planned."

Sally excused the other Freedom Fighters in order to focus on Bunnie and Sonia. If they were to fail, the consequences would be dire for Lady Idube. They would have to sneak into the city on foot. If they were to take a car or any other source of transportation, they would have drawn far too much attention to themselves. They could only take the clothing on their backs and two small knapsacks of supplies. With little to no information on where Lady Idube was being held, it would be up to Sonia and Bunnie to find out. It wasn't going to be easy.

Their closest friends saw them off. It was a dangerous mission and they wanted to be sure to wish them luck. There was also the very real fear it could be the last time they might see them if things went wrong; they wanted a chance to say some sort of goodbye. It was something that no one would ever admit aloud, but no one was ignorant to the truth. With the loss of so many loved ones, no one took the remaining friends and family for granted.

"Good luck, sis," Sonic said. "Don't get yourself caught."

"Yeah," Manic said. "We just found out you even exist. We need you to stick around long enough for us to get some blackmail material on you. Otherwise, what's the point of being a brother?"

Sonia smiled. "I don't intend to get caught."

"I was a little surprised you weren't complaining about how unfashionable your knapsack is." Sonic's joke was only half-serious; he wouldn't have been surprised if she had, but he'd really only said it to keep his mind off of the danger his sister was about to face.

"Are you kidding?" Sonia asked. "You know just as well as I do that the rustic look is in."

Sonic playfully rolled his eyes. He turned his attention to Bunnie. "Keep an eye on her for us, Bunnie."

"Will do, sugar-hog."

"Bon courage, Bunnie," Antoine said. "I am hoping that you come home safe."

"Don't worry about that, Twan," she said. "Sonia and me will be in and out with Lady Idube lickety-split!"

"We have faith in you two," Rotor said.

"Thanks, sugar."

"Bunnie, we better get going," Sonia said. "We don't have time to waste."

"Right." Bunnie nodded. "Bye, everybody. Ah hope those cargo ships don't give you any trouble."

Saying goodbye was never easy under these circumstances. As much as they both wanted to help Lady Idube, everything was so uncertain. When Knothole was out of sight, fear began to set in. It was real now. They were really heading into Robotropolis alone; they would be completely defenseless in enemy territory. They would have only each other to rely on.

They could only hope that they would be enough.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations<strong>

Bon courage – This is a way of wishing someone good luck in French. It's usually used more for something that takes effort though. Bonne chance also works, but I felt bon courage would be better for wishing someone luck on an arduous and risky mission.


End file.
